Started in 2001 by librarian and First Lady Laura Bush with support from the Library of Congress, the National Book Festival has grown steadily, from a small fair set on the east lawn of the U.S. Capitol near the Library of Congress, to multiple tents on the National Mall, to the convention center. This year’s NBF is scheduled for Saturday, September 5.

Since 2011, there’s been a graphic novel pavilion, spotlighting numerous creators, most from outside the superhero genre. SPX is a sponsor.

In 2013, citing extensive damage to the National Mall grounds, the National Park Service banished the popular National Book Festival. Since 2014, it has been held indoors, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, hosting over 150 authors, and attracting over 200,000 attendees!

This year, in addition to celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Festival, the Library of Congress is also celebrating the bicentennial of Thomas Jefferson selling his personal library of 6,487 books (the largest library in America at that time) to the Library of Congress, to replace the Library’s holdings which were destroyed by British troops on August 24, 1814. (The full story on the current display is quite amazing!) Ironically, some of those volumes were destroyed in another fire, in 1851. Those 6400+ books have now become 17000000+.

I’ve been writing for The Beat since July of 2010.
I’ve been reading comics since 1974, collecting since 1984, and spreading the graphic novel gospel since 1994.
I’m a bookseller, a librarian, an amateur scholar, a cool uncle, and a comics evangelist.
Ask me anything!